Pala International Inc.

In 1968, Bill Larson, a connoisseur of quality gems and minerals, formed Pala Properties International (PPI; now called Pala International) and purchased three San Diego County gem mines: the Stewart Lithia, Tourmaline Queen, and Pala Chief. Located in the foothills of northern San Diego county, these mines are part of a local mining history dating back to the 1800s, when tourmaline accounted for the largest percentage of gemstones mined here. American, European, and Asian gem houses were actively involved, including Tiffany’s, which had part-time buyers in the Pala and Mesa Grande mining districts. Even the Chinese were fond of tourmaline, using the gem in oriental carvings and on mandarin clothing. Gemstone production during the early 1900s was recorded in county records as exceeding two million dollars. With the emergence of PPI in the late 1960s, organized mining was on the upswing. Although Bill Larson’s Stewart Lithia Mine produced small pockets of tourmaline, it was not until 1972 that a strike at the Tourmaline Queen produced tourmaline crystals in what was called “the find of the century in terms of color and perfection.” An exceptional piece from that strike called the “Candelabra” is now on exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.